Fiction Friday, July 26th

Friday, July 26, 2013

Because I'm running out of summer vacation (!) I want to mention several of the Sunshine State books today and share the brochures I made to go with them. You can download the brochures by clicking on the book cover.

One and Only Ivan

by Katherine Applegate

What a sweet story! It will definitely touch the hearts of your animal lovers; I think it will make a wonderful read - aloud and am hoping to fit it in.

Ivan is a gorilla who lives at a Mall in a glass cage. People stop by and stare at him, and every now and then he remembers a little bit of his life before captivity. He has two friends, an elderly elephant named Stella and a stray dog named Bob.

Ivan is an artist, whose work is sold there in the mall. He thinks a lot about his art and how to represent his experiences. One day a baby elephant, Ruby, comes to live with them and her arrival changes everything. Stella is adamant that Ruby should not be living in the mall, and it's her last wish that Ivan help her.

Ivan tells his own story, and you'll find yourself rooting for him as he tries to rescue Ruby from the only life he has known.

Floors

by Patrick Carman

Floors is a wacky story of Leo, who lives with his father in the Whippet Hotel where they handle all the maintenance needs. Leo becomes the recipient of several mystery boxes, and he must try to figure out what is going on; the hotel is full of secrets and plots!

Floors is book one in a series -- book 3 will be released in September.

Double Dog Dare

by Lisa Graff

A little competition to become the news anchor for the fourth grade Media Club turns into an all out dare war between Francine and a new student, Kansas. The two of them are archenemies, who discover they have something major in common -- their parents' divorce. There is a lot of humor in the book as things escalate in the war, but also a lot of emotions are dealt with about family issues. I think it could make a great read - aloud for your students; many will identify with the family situations and the humor of the "dares" keeps it from getting too heavy.